Hosting a Trick or Treat Table

Thanks for joining us on the Hauntway! Below is information on all the topics we’ve received questions on. If you have a question that isn’t answered below, give us a scream at trickortreat@greathighwaypark.com.

Setting Up Your Station

Where & When. Trick or Treating begins Sunday, Oct. 29th at 1pm and ends at 4pm. You can set up any time after 11:30am.

  • If you’re renting a table from us: follow the instructions provided by email to identify the table assigned to you, or ask any welcome station. Note: we’ll send this email a week or so before the event.

  • If you’re bringing your own table: please set up at least 20 feet away from the next table, and only on the western side of the roadway.

Decorating Your Station! We’ll be giving away prizes for the most creatively decorated trick or treat stations! Keep it simple or get creative, but please mind these guidelines from Rec and Park so we can do this event again next year:

  • Size: ~6ft by 6ft max (think a picnic table and chairs)

  • No structures

  • No painting the roadway (chalk art is fine!)

  • No attaching decorations to park features like plants or lights

  • Please do not give away stickers, as they tend to find their way into the sand dunes.

  • Pack it in? Pack it out!

Handing out Candy? Please stick to commercially packaged candy or non-edible treats. This candy calculator spreadsheet includes some options for varieties of lower-cost candy options.

Wondering how much candy to bring? It’s a BYO affair, with some supplemental candy from us. We expect a few thousand children to attend. We will be giving each host a few hundred pieces of candy upon arrival. We'll also have extra candy to distribute for folks who run out. If you have concerns about being able to afford the candy, let us know and we'll arrange for extra free candy.

Allergy-Safe Trick or Treating. You can help ensure that trick or treaters with food allergies have a safe and fun time at the Hauntway by doing the following:

  • If you see a kid with a teal pumpkin, offer them an allergy-safe treat. We provide free teal pumpkins to kids with food allergies. Some kids with food allergies may not use a teal pumpkin, which is fine too - they’ll let you know if they need a non-food treat.

  • Bring a teal pumpkin (or print & post this sign) to let kids with food allergies know you have non-candy treats for them (some fun ideas are here). Be sure to keep your non-food treats stored separate from all food items. We will have some extra teal pumpkins for you to borrow at our welcome stations.

Promoting your Business or Cause?

Want to host a table as part of your business or organization? Have a cause you want to promote at your station? Feel free to incorporate your brand or message into your decorations, but we ask that you keep the focus on the kids.

We also ask that you comply with a few simple event rules:

  • Do not attach literature to candy.

  • Do not leave your station to talk to people about your cause.

  • No active campaigning is permitted at the event.

  • Focus on fun for the trick or treaters. If folks ask about your cause, talk to them reactively. If folks don’t want to talk about your cause, don’t push the issue.

Groups that violate these rules may be asked to leave the event.

Donations

The Great Hauntway is free to all. If you want to donate to support keeping it that way, you may make a donation in-person at any welcome station or make a tax deductible donation at www.greathighwaypark.com/donate.